Police developing description of Williamson Library vandal

Franklin police hope to soon have an image of the man who caused thousands of dollars in damage breaking into and ransacking the main branch of the Williamson County Library over the weekend.

The break-in and subsequent vandalism, which took place at the Columbia Avenue branch Sunday morning, have forced library officials to close the branch until at least Wednesday.

Franklin Police Sgt. Charles Warner said the surveillance system caught the image of a black male stumbling through the library at 2:38 a.m. Police said they are in the process of downloading surveillance video so they can provide a better description of the suspect. Authorities hope to have images to release early Tuesday.

A custodian discovered the break-in about 9:15 a.m. Sunday morning.

The robber broke into the library through a window and caused a large amount of damage within the building, including using a printer to break windows and furniture, police said.

No computers or books were stolen, but the man got away with $75.

The cost to clean up the mess is estimated at $3,200.

“The police department is aggressively pursuing leads in this case,” Warner said. 'It's a shame someone would be so callous and have so little regard to damage one of our most valuable resources in the community.”

There have been no similar break-ins or cases of vandalism in the surrounding area, Warner said.

To send an anonymous tip about this crime to Franklin Police, text the keyword 615FPD, along with your message to 847411 (Tip411), or call Crime Stoppers at (615) 794-4000.

1 Comment on this post:

By:govskeptic on 10/20/09 at 10:42

No alarm system on a facility that cost as much as the
library? Maybe a few dollars should have been spent
there rather than buying the most expensive German
made police motorcycles on the market! Just saying....